HORNBACH Holding

HORNBACH Baumarkt

Logistics: combining efficiency with environmental protection

HORNBACH is also making a contribution towards protecting the environment with the work performed by its logistics centers. In its logistics activities, the Group continued to work on reducing its CO2 emissions in the 2016/2017 financial year. By opening new logistics locations and additional delivery plants, and by managing processes with suitable software, the Group managed to reduce total transport distances. Furthermore, alongside trucks the Group also deployed alternative means of transport. Heavy goods, such as tiles, are transported across the Alps by rail. Not only that, containers from the import hubs of Rotterdam and Hamburg are returned not by truck, but by inland waterway and rail.

A further lever for reducing CO2 emissions involves smartly managing deliveries of merchandise to our stores. In cooperation with suppliers, the key focus is on optimal freight capacity utilization and efficient route planning. Comprehensive transport planning enables reliable deadlines to be issued to haulers and customers at the store. That significantly reduces waiting times and saves resources in terms of truck deployment. Furthermore, it leads to better working conditions for drivers and employees alike.

The introduction of full-range electronic data exchange between HORNBACH and its suppliers is creating greater transparency in the supply chain. Easier data accessibility removes the need for large quantities of printouts. As a member of the Logistics Workgroup at the BHB sector association, HORNBACH is targeting and promoting solutions aimed at digitizing and standardizing the processes involved.

To save resources, one key priority in our logistics involves freeing merchandise from unnecessary packaging material. This is largely made possible by working with reusable, durable transport containers which HORNBACH uses in circuits between its suppliers, logistics centers, and stores.